I’d always considered myself a “regular guy”; pragmatic, “logical”, prone to not expressing my emotions, intermittently interested in health and fitness. Over the years I’d spent my fair share of time in gyms, lifting heavy things, trying to eat “right” or “healthy” and, at times, trying to lose some body fat. I’d also spent time drinking too much, eating crappy food and feeling shitty.

I moved to MT in 1991 to finish college in Bozeman but, being in my early 20s, fly-fishing and hunting ended up having much more influence than books and tests. Go figure.

I spent many years in Ennis living the life I love and loving the life I was living. I met my wife Karen on the river. Through our mutual love of fly-fishing we connected deeply and were married several years later. We eventually (I was 41) decided to have a child.

For many reasons and through enormous amounts of chaos, upheaval and pain, as well as joy, humility and submission, this ended up being a profoundly transformative period of my life.

I came out the other side feeling incredibly different; deeply grateful and humbled. I also came out a dad to an amazing daughter. I found myself at a place of great responsibility. It became very obvious that, having started a bit later down the road to parenthood, that, if I was to be the parent I truly wanted to and intended to be, I would need to make some changes to more than just my mental state (although this was an excellent place to start).

Through much research I stumbled across Bulletproof…specifically the coffee. I began with that and fairly quickly saw some amazingly positive benefits to my energy levels. Prior to this I would, as most fishing guides (and men in general) I knew, start the day with several cups of strong, black coffee and a breakfast burrito. By 10:30 or so I’d be starving and my energy would take a nose-dive. I’d eat a giant sandwich at lunch on the river, feel bloated and tired for several hours then, by 3 or 4 in the afternoon I’d be a walking zombie. I’d make it home to my wife and baby girl and have zero capacity to be present with them let alone play and bond with my daughter.

After just a week or two of having Bulletproof Coffee (BPC) in the mornings and focusing on eating good quality fats, proteins and fewer carbs for lunch I was shocked at how different I felt. I continued researching different ways to positively affect my energy levels and dove deeper into Bulletproof. I ended up dramatically (over time, with sustainability in mind) modifying the way I ate. I spent 6 months or so in ketosis (more on that elsewhere on this site). Ended up losing 18 pounds of body fat (this was not my original intention but not a bad “side effect”), feeling my brain truly turn on (I had no idea it was even partially “off”) and having more energy than I’d had since my 20s. I can’t overstate what an eye opening and profoundly positive experience this was.

Fast forward to today…

I have continued practicing many aspects of the Bulletproof tenets and lifestyle for going on 4 years now. The changes, both acute and subtle over time have been truly life changing.

I have maintained and even considerably increased the number of guide days I run on the river each year. I feel energized and mentally sharp virtually every day. I have the capacity to put in a full days work and still come home and spend quality time with my family instead of just wanting to lie on the couch and watch TV. I have cultivated more ability to be expressive, communicative and open. I am less moody and less prone to stay in a reactive state.

All of this is possible because I have much greater amounts of energy, which leads to and allows more capacity and more awareness.

There is no “right” or “wrong” way to go about this. Each of us has different desires, goals and wherewithal that may change from moment to moment, day to day. This lifestyle is first, about wanting things to be different, having the desire to make a change. Then it’s about being ready and willing to focus on what is really important to you.

It’s not about willpower or grind or “strength”. It’s not about just eating less and exercising more.

It’s about opening up to possibilities and creating a series of steps that are realistic, doable and sustainable towards reaching your goals.